OTTAWA (AFP) – A former journalist broke her silence on Friday to stand by her allegation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau groped her nearly two decades ago, when he was not politically involved.
“I issue this statement reluctantly, in response to mounting media pressure to confirm that I was the reporter who was the subject of the Open Eyes editorial, published in the Creston Valley Advance in August of 2000,” Rose Knight said in a statement to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She was referring to the original Canadian report on the allegation, which said that
Trudeau, who was 28 at the time and not involved in politics, had apologized to the reporter in question.
In that story he was also quoted as saying “I would never have been so forward” had he known she was a reporter. “The incident referred to in the editorial did occur, as reported. Mr Trudeau did apologize the next day. I did not pursue the incident at the time and will not be pursuing the incident further. I have had no subsequent contact with Mr. Trudeau, before or after he became prime minister,” said Knight.
